Impacted Canine Tooth Surgery

On occasion, a person’s canine teeth will fail to erupt at the proper time because of the way in which the teeth developed. This is what we call impacted canines and it often happens in patients who have dental crowding of their upper or lower jaws.

In most cases, impacted canines are first diagnosed by an orthodontist. It may be necessary to aid the tooth’s eruption by attaching a small bracket to the impacted tooth to allow them to manipulate the tooth into place. You may be referred for this procedure if your orthodontist feels this is necessary to improve your treatment plan.

Impacted Canines Procedure

The procedure is done in the office and usually takes about 1 hour. There are a number of anesthesia options and these will be discussed at your consultation. The procedure usually involves making a small window in the gum or elevating the gum and identifying the impacted canine.

After the tooth is located a small bracket is bonded to the tooth which will be used by your orthodontist to move it into the correct position. Dissolvable sutures will be placed to aid in healing.

After The Surgery

A postoperative visit will be scheduled in 1-2 weeks so your doctor can assess healing following the extraction procedure.